1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to coverings for the beds of pickup trucks and similar vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to bed covers that are sufficiently rigid to permit the cover to bear a load while the cover leaves a majority of the bed volume under the cover unobstructed and usable.
2. Summary of Prior Art
For many years, covers have been sold for the beds of pickup trucks for aesthetic and functional reasons. The most common of these covers is the tonneau cover, which is usually formed of fabric and secured to the bed of the truck, above the floor and usually at the top of the bed walls, by grommets, elastic cords, and the like. Clearly, while a fabric cover may protect the bed and its contents from the elements, it is not well adapted to secure the bed against unauthorized entry and theft or vandalism to the contents.
Accordingly, the prior art discloses a number of rigid covers for pickup truck beds. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,722, to Parri, discloses a bed cover having a rigid platform mounted on slides. U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,058, to Karrer, discloses a bed enclosure using several covers to enclose the bed of a truck. U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,709, to Carroll, discloses a rigid cover adapted to carry loads in conjunction with stake sides. U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,778, to Goble, discloses a bed cover adapted for converting the bed of a pickup into a dog kennel with a tent or covered sitting area above. U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,775, to Beals, discloses a rigid, load bearing cover that locks.
Other patents disclose storage units adapted to partition or otherwise make use of bed space that have the incidental effect of providing a rigid top or cover for the storage device(s). Such apparatus are found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,364, to Rafi-Zadeh; U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,305, to McKneely; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,895 to Allison, et al. Each of these devices interferes with the original volume of the bed, which is their intended function.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,329,979 and 5,239,934, to Miller et al., disclose a storage device for a pickup that can be removed from the bed and is provided with legs so that the device can function as a work table. Similar is U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,898, to Williams, which discloses a device that provides drawers in the bed that can be used as work tables.
A commercial rigid bed cover is sold by Covercraft Industries of Pauls Valley, Okla. as the xe2x80x9cHardshell Tonneau Coverxe2x80x9d and is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,042,173 and 5,743,586, to Nett. This cover is hinged at the forward or end wall of the pickup bed, but is not easily removed and cannot function as a table when removed.
A need exists, therefore, for a pickup truck bed cover that is rigid and capable of bearing a load (so that the flat portion of the bed cover remains useful), does not interfere with the use of the majority of the bed volume, is easily removed from the pickup bed, and can be used as a table when removed from the pickup bed.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved bed cover for the bed of a pickup truck. The bed of the pickup has a pair of parallel, spaced-apart, upstanding sidewalls, a tailgate extending transversely between the sidewalls at one end, and an end wall extending between the sidewalls at an end opposite the tailgate. The sidewalls, end wall and tailgate define a bed volume, which is a useful part of the bed.
This object is achieved by providing a generally laminar cover member extending between the sidewalls, end wall, and tailgate and removably secured to at least one of the sidewalls and end wall. The cover member is formed of a rigid material adapted to bear a load and is secured to the sidewalls in a location to leave at least 75% of the bed volume under the cover usable for storage. A pair of leg members are secured to one side of the cover member, the leg members being selectively extendable to permit use of the cover as a table when the cover is removed from the bed of the pickup truck.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the end wall is defined by a vertically extending portion of a toolbox disposed in the bed opposite the tailgate.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the end wall is an integral portion of the pickup truck bed.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the bed cover further comprises at least one hinge member, coupled to the cover member and extending along an axis of the bed to permit partial opening of the bed cover and access to the bed volume under the bed cover.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one hinge member further comprises a first hinge member connecting the bed cover to the end wall, a second hinge member extending transversely between the sidewalls and coupling a forward and a rear portion of the bed cover to one another, a third hinge member extending from the tail gate perpendicular to and intersecting the second hinge member to connect right rear and left rear portions of the cover member to one another.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first hinge member comprises a plurality of individual hinge members with removable hinge pins to permit it selective removal of the cover member from the bed.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the cover member is formed of aluminum plate having a non-skid tread pattern formed on at least an upper surface thereof.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent with reference to the drawings and detailed description, which follow.